Fundamentalism in Religion and Its Roots
How in Hades , did we get here? Religion and "faith" , has often been the accused causing all the evils in the world. Because we live in such a specialized world, even the most educated around us appear only to have a modicum of learning and understanding the how, in hades we arrived to the point where fundamentalist fanatics are calculating how to manufacture a nuclear weapon to murder those that are opposing them and the advancement of modernity. The Ages of Reason and Enlightement have shaped our world in a way that continues to warp the way we reason and think. The three major faiths of Monotheism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam would do well, stop the radical fundamentalist reactionary speech and learn to read their scripture in light of the mystical genre of which they were written.
For those of a deeper desire to understand the religious world and current world and national affairs affecting every facet of our lives, I can wholeheartedly recommend the books, "The Battle for God" , the History of Fundamentalism and "A History of God" both by Karen Armstrong. Both books will greatly increase your insight into the daily and world events. They are profoundly enlightening and certainly allow you to see the deeper context of all the world's religion and the struggle of man to know God. As an extra bonus, the books will likely help you and your children keep from entering or taking part of some cult and any religion. That's worth the 30 bucks for both books and a few hours of reading , alone.